In a first ruling of its kind, Israeli rabbinical authorities have seized the passport of an American businessman and barred him from leaving the country for more than a year — claiming he is responsible for his son's refusal to grant his wife a divorce.

With the draconian punishment, Israel's rabbinical court system has dramatically extended its reach by punishing a parent for his son's actions in a bid to solve a bitter, yearslong divorce dispute.

Under millennia-old Jewish law, a woman needs the approval of her husband to dissolve a marriage. In Israel, where all marriages are subject to religious law, this norm has left thousands of women in legal limbo due to husbands who refuse to grant divorces.

In recent decades, the rabbinical courts have gained the authority to impose various sanctions against recalcitrant husbands. But legal experts say that never before have they punished a husband's parent — in this case claiming that the father is helping his son live a life of luxury in the United States while leaving his estranged wife languishing back in Israel.

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